Rum · Region · Short entry
Jamaica
A British sugar colony worked by enslaved Africans until 1834-1838, and today the home of the 'Jamaica Rum' geographical indication, with ageing required on the island.
Character
Molasses rums; producers argued before the GI registry that Jamaican rums are often high in esters from long fermentations (a submission, not a ruling).
Rum and the GI
Jamaica was one of the Caribbean slave colonies supplied by New England traders; Rhode Islanders even called salt cod, the staple food given to enslaved people, "Jamaica fish". Slavery ended under the British act of 1833, in force from 1 August 1834, with forced "apprenticeship" until 1838.
The Jamaica Rum GI was registered on 1 December 2016. In proceedings before the registry, one producer submitted that Jamaican rums are typically high in esters because of long, less controlled fermentations that can last one to three weeks or more. The 2024 ruling limited yeasts, banned GM yeast and required ageing in Jamaica.
How it connects
Continue exploring
- CountryJamaica4 entries in the atlas so far
- StoryA history of rumBarbados
- HistorySlavery Abolition Act (1833)August 1833 (in force 1 August 1834; apprenticeship ended 1838)
- History'Jamaica Rum' registered as a geographical indication (2016)1 December 2016
- MakerAppleton Estate1749 (company claim)
- StyleJamaica Rum (geographical indication)Protected name
- MethodColumn still (Coffey still)Distillation
- StoryCoffee: from Ethiopian forests to the world's cafésEthiopia
- IngredientSugarcaneSaccharum officinarum (and hybrids with S. spontaneum and other wild Saccharum)
- RegionBarbadosBarbados